Robin Williams

Everybody is blogging about Robin Williams. His death was a great shock to a great many. One thinks of the poem “Richard Corey.” He was rich, famous, and adored. If his life wasn't worth living, what can it mean?

It was pretty obvious from the beginning of his career that he had a certain manic energy. Manic—as in manic depressive. So there's that.

However, one would still think that, at his age, and having made so much money, at worst he could have withdrawn from the world for as long as was necessary, or even permanently, to find serenity.

But in fact, he could not. And this is what killed Robin Williams. He was in serious financial trouble.

So how could someone whose movies grossed more than three billion dollars end up at 63 in serious financial trouble? Surely he must have gambled it all away in Vegas or something?

No; he did not. All it took was two divorces.

Given the alimony he was liable for, he was in the position of having to work as hard as hecould just to hold off bankruptcy. This forced him to take roles that he did not want, and inevitably, he just was not as good in them. But then, as his star faded as a result, meeting those payments became harder and harder.

He was on a treadmill he could not escape; except by this means. And this is not a rare thing among rich and famous men. John Cleese is apparently on the same treadmill for the same reason. Gordon Lightfoot has declared that, at his age, he cannot afford to become involved with any new women.

Something is very wrong here. We are enslaving and destroying men--especially the best and the brightest.

Given that woman are free to work and have their own careers, there is no excuse for alimony. If a divorced spouse is still receiving some portion of the other spouse's income, this should be only for services continuing to be performed. And as for dividing marital property, why should the value of a woman's housework rise and fall based on the value of the man's work outside the home? Traditional housework should have a fixed value. The woman's (or lower earner's) share in any divorce settlement should be based on having actually performed this function, and this fixed value, plus the other party's ability to pay. Settlements should accordingly be capped. At about what a live-in maid could earn over the period of the marriage.

As for child support, of course, it is not fair for one party to have the benefit of the children's presence, while the other party has only the bills. Whoever pays child support should, as a matter of simple justice, have full custody of the children.

Enough men have died that we ought to notice what is going on. The suicide rate for men is about four times what it is for women in the US. And that is without counting mysterious traffic accidents, probably the easiest way for men to kill themselves. The suicide rate is accelerating, especially for middle-aged men.